Off-road engine design and operating conditions are significantly different from those of on-highway. Due to the relatively high load factor or severe duty cycle, compounded with the lack of airflow cooling for slow moving or stationary machines thus elevated temperature, moisture and debris contamination, excessive vibration and shock loading, as well as broad application range, off-road engines are exposed to unique technical challenges not seen from on-highway. This presentation will elaborate on the various aspects of off-road engine application and the associated tribological consequences based on the speaker’s experience at John Deere.
Dr. Kenneth Chao is a Senior Staff Engineer at John Deere with global technical responsibility for engine oil, transmission hydraulic fluid, gear lube, grease among others. He has been involved in the science of tribology since 1985 at Pennsylvania State University where he obtained post-graduate degrees in chemical engineering. Ken spent nine years at the University of Dayton Research Institute thereafter conducting tribology research for the U.S. Air Force before joining John Deere in 2000. Over a dozen scientific papers were published as a result of his research work. He is a member of STLE, ASTM, and SAE Fuels & Lubricants Council.
